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Mike Longaecker

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Mike Longaecker is the regional public safety reporter for RiverTown Multimedia. His coverage area spans St. Croix and Pierce counties. Longaecker served from 2011-2015 as editor of the Woodbury Bulletin. A University of Wisconsin-River Falls graduate, Longaecker previously reported for the Red Wing Republican Eagle and for the Forum Communications Minnesota Capitol Bureau. You can follow him on Twitter at @Longaecker

A Woodbury woman reported July 1 that older skateboarders at the Ojibway Park skate park were being rude and yelling at younger children there. The woman confronted the older skaters, who were described as “very confrontational.” The woman was advised to call police if she sees the skaters again so “police can give them a talking-to.” An Ojibway Park Court resident reported July 1 that between 1 and 4 p.m. a man came to her came to her door asking if anyone lived there.

Globe University on Tuesday called a lawsuit filed by the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office "unnecessary enforcement action." The suit, filed by Attorney General Lori Swanson in Hennepin County District Court, claims Woodbury-based Globe University exploited its criminal justice students by misrepresenting the potential for job opportunities.

A spurned appeal for a cigarette prompted a Woodbury man to slash at his roommate with a knife, according to criminal charges issued last week. According to a criminal complaint, Anthony James Andersen, 26, admitted to cutting a man with whom he shared the same living space during a July 12 incident.

State health officials announced Thursday that a Woodbury restaurant was among the Applebee’s locations where people were sickened by E. coli. At least one of Woodbury's two Applebee’s restaurants was confirmed among the nine Applebee’s where a dozen people had eaten before falling ill, according to a Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) news release. An MDH spokesman said it was not immediately clear which of Woodbury's two Applebee's restaurants was included on the list. The department launched an investigation into E.

The Woodbury man who likely saved the life of a fellow motorist in June will be honored for his actions. The Roseville Fire Department will honor Robert Renning on July 23 at the city's fire station, according to a city of Roseville announcement. Renning used his bare hands to wrench on the door frame of a burning SUV during a June 29 incident on Interstate 35W.

Police were called June 24 to the Dancing Waters pool for an assault. A woman went to the pool with her kids but the key fob she used to open the gate didn’t work. She asked a man inside the pool to let her in. The request was denied. The woman left, then returned with another malfunctioning key fob, and watched as the man inside the pool area helped someone else with a malfunctioning fob enter. The woman found her way inside the pool area, which prompted the man inside to ask her who let her in. His profanity-laced comments were met by the woman’s husband, who entered the scene.

Afton Alps Ski Area was transformed Saturday into a setting for a grueling adventure race, where thousands of hardy runners scaled walls, climbed ski hills and slogged through mud. The race -- Warrior Dash -- drew runners from across the Midwest to south Washington County for the one-day event. Runners completed a 5K race the hard way: Mud mounds, rope bridges and a roaring fire were among the 13 obstacles faced along the way. Among the competitors at this year’s event were sisters Amanda Nobello and Jillian Deppa, both of Woodbury. Nobello said a harrowing crawl across a long pass

Formal charges were filed Friday against a Minneapolis man accused of serving as an accomplice in an armed robbery at a Woodbury jewelry store. Erick Larkins, 46, was charged with one count of first-degree aiding and abetting an aggravated robbery involving a firearm. Washington County prosecutors allege Larkins drove the gunman, Thomas Eric Jones, to Johnson Jewelers in the Seasons Market shopping center on June 21.

The most costly remaining transit option for the Gateway Corridor project was jettisoned Thursday by a key panel. Gateway Corridor Commission members moved forward two transit plans – bus-rapid transit and a managed lane option – but scrapped light-rail transit. According to a resolution passed by the commission, the final dagger for LRT was its $950 million price tag, which came without an appreciable boost in ridership when compared to BRT. BRT plans call for a $400 million dedicated bus guideway running between Manning Avenue in Woodbury to St.